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Page 418 - In the lives of the social insects the threptic, or philoprogenitive instincts are of such transcendent importance that all the other instincts of the species, including, of course, those of alimentation and nest-building, become merely tributary or ancillary. In ants, especially, the instincts relating to the nurture of the young bear the aspect of a dominating obsession. The very strength and scope of such instincts, however, renders these insects more susceptible to the inroads of a host of guests,...

Page 276 - Principles of Population." The effect of that was analogous to that of friction upon the specially prepared match, producing that flash of insight which led us immediately to the simple but universal law of the " survival of the fittest," as the long-sought effective cause of the continuous modification and adaptations of living things.

Page 276 - Finally, both Darwin and myself, at the critical period when our minds were freshly stored with a considerable body of personal observation and reflection bearing upon the problem to be solved, had our attention directed to the system of positive checks as expounded by Malthus in his "Principles of Population.

Page 275 - The former strongly urged him to publish an abstract of his theory as soon as possible, lest some other person might precede him; but he always refused till he had got together the whole of the materials for his intended great work. Then, at last, Lyell's prediction was fulfilled, and, without any apparent warning, my letter, with the enclosed Essay, came upon him, like a thunderbolt from a cloudless sky! This forced him to what he considered a premature publicity, and his two friends undertook to...

Page 278 - Such is my recollection of this day, the fiftieth anniversary of which we are now celebrating, and of the fortnight that immediately preceded it. "It remains for me to ask your forgiveness for intruding upon your time and attention with the...

Page 277 - ... a compromise — to write to Mr. Wallace fully informing him of the motives of the course adopted. In answer, Mr. Darwin thanked me warmly for my offer to explain all to Mr. Wallace, and in a later letter he informed me that he was disposed to look favorably on my suggested compromise, but that before making up his mind he desired a second opinion as to whether he could honorably claim priority, and that he proposed applying to Sir Charles Lyell for this.

Page 277 - Darwin, who states that he had on that day received a communication from Mr. Wallace written from the Celebes Islands requesting that it might be sent to him (Sir Charles). "In a covering letter Mr. Darwin pointed out that the enclosure contained a sketch of a theory of Natural Selection as depending on the struggle for existence so identical with one he himself entertained and fully described in MS. in 1842 that he never saw a more striking coincidence: had Mr. Wallace seen his sketch he could not...

Page 355 - There exists a largo amount of evidence obtained from observers, such as fruit-growers, gamekeepers, sportsmen, and others ; and although some of this may be and is useful, much of it has been distorted on its way, through the prejudiced glasses of the observer. What is really necessary in order to obtain as accurate a conception as possible of the economic status of any species of bird is the actual dissection and recording of the contents of the crops and stomachs of a large number of individuals...